Contagious Chemistry
by BrookeEvans1234
Summary: Semi AU Story: Nathan Scott finally got Clay Evans to show up to one of his cookouts... He expected to have a good time and head home, but he never in a million years would have imagined he would fall in love. Brooke/Clay, Haley/Nathan, Peyton/Lucas
1. Chapter 1

_Semi AU Story: Nathan Scott finally got Clay Evans to show up to one of his cookouts... He expected to have a good time and head home, but he never in a million years would have imagined he would fall in love._ Couples to be revealed soon.

 **Contagious Chemistry** (Artist: _You Me At Six_ )

 _Chapter 1: You Had Me At... Oh Hell No!_

* * *

"Can you believe this weather?" Nathan asked with a jovial tone as he headed over to the outdoor grille, "I thought for sure with all that rain last week, we wouldn't be able to grill out again before I left for the pre-season."

"Someone up there must like you," Lucas said while raising one hand to the sky, "someone has to," he finished with a chuckle. "Should I bring out the meat?"

Nathan started up the grille, "let's get everything nice and hot first."

Lucas looked around at the expansive backyard that was newly remodeled, "how much did you spend on all of this again?" Lucas stepped down into the outdoor cooking area with a swim up bar. To the right of him was a waterslide that could rival any waterpark in the state. Underneath that was a waterfall grotto that changed color at night and provided some privacy for the over-sized hot tub. "I still can't believe Haley let you put in a grotto, should I buy you a smoking jacket for Christmas this year _Mr. Hefner_."

Haley joined the conversation, carrying out a pitcher of freshly blended margaritas, "hey! That grotto is skank free; no herpes, no centerfolds, no bunnies."

"Unless you count Chester." Brooke giggled as she waded into the pool, "awe," Brooke let a soft moan escape her lips as the water soothed her scorching skin. "Great idea hot shot, thank you for inviting me."

"Anytime Davis, it wouldn't be a party without you." Nathan pulled a beer from the mini fridge and tossed one to Lucas.

Lucas cracked his open and said, "in a few months Brooke we'll all be family… officially."

Before Brooke could respond, someone cleared their throat, "hey Nate I hope you don't mind that I just let myself in." He smiled sheepishly before continuing, "I tried the bell…" he trailed off. "No one answered…"

"Nonsense Clay," Nathan bellowed from the grille, "mi casa, su casa man." Nathan motioned for Clay to join him, "let me introduce you to a couple of my favorite people. This is Lucas, my less handsome older brother."

"Thanks bro," Lucas rolled his eyes and put out his hand, "Lucas Scott nice to meet you."

"Same," Clay nodded. After signing new talent he hardly visited clients at home, he didn't like blurring the line between business and pleasure, but Nathan was different. Clay had represented him for the last five years and it had proved lucrative for him. Through Nathan, Clay had landed an additional four professional athletes in four years, which is practically unheard of for a rookie agent such as himself. Since his five clients are based in North and South Carolina, he recently made the decision to open a satellite office in Charlotte to be more available at a moment's notice. Personal attention and providing indiviualized mangement was something Clay prided himself on.

Brooke swam up to the bar and cleared her throat. "Shit," Nathan snickered, "I didn't forget you Davis I promise." Nathan turned to Clay, "Clay this is Brooke Davis."

He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed her before this very moment. Now that he had, he couldn't look away, she was breathtaking; perfectly bronzed skin, shoulder length mahogany locks, sparkling hazel eyes, and a dimpled smile. "Can you hand me that glitter tumbler please, it's right behind you?"

Clay cleared his throat again and gestured to her, "of course." He handed her the cup, "Brooke is it?"

"Yep," Brooke laughed, "isn't that what Nathan just said?" She kinked her eyebrow in his direction and shook her head. "This one isn't too bright is he?"

"Hush Davis, we wouldn't be standing here, with all of this without him." Nathan reassured Clay with a smile.

"Lest you forget who you married. Those platinum albums in the den aren't yours hot shot." Brooke retorted before sticking out her tongue.

"At ease Brooke," Nathan smirked. "Make yourself at home man," Nathan patted Clay's back as he walked by, "Davis…" Nathan pointed, "be nice ya hear."

Brooke brought her hand to her head in a mock salute, "10-4."

Brooke and Clay watched as Lucas and Nathan headed back to the house to gather the rest of the items for the cookout. Brooke pulled a notebook towards her and sipped her drink, "what are you working on?"

"A list," Brooke answered quickly.

"I see," Clay grinned, "can I get you a margarita or something?"

"No thank you." Brooke said without looking up, "I think I'll stick to cucumber water for now."

Clay felt his heart leap into his throat, _what is wrong with you_ he wondered before speaking again, "great. So what do you do for a living Brooke?"

"I am a fashion designer by day and renegade crime fighter by night." Brooke said without looking up from her notebook. Her thoughts immediately interupted by the commotion coming from inside the house, "oh goodie the team is here."

"Team?"

"Yep, the guys from the court, the rivercourt. They have all been friends basically since utero." Brooke angrily crossed something off her list, "welcome to our merry band of misfits."

"I see," Clay took the seat across from Brooke and she shut the notebook, "so what's your superhero name Brooke, in case I need help someday?" He wasn't sure what it was about her, but he wanted to get to know her better so he made the snap decision to flirt with her in the hopes of getting her number before the end of the night.

Brooke smiled, "B-Dazzle." She glanced around them, brushed her hair behind her shoulders and whispered, "but don't tell anyone I have a reputation to uphold. Informing everyone that they are inferior just wouldn't be right."

Clay mimed zipping his lips, locking them and throwing away the key. "Your secret is safe with me." Clay tilted his head down and admired the quote in Brooke's journal; _Poets are all who love, who feel great truths, and tell them. And the truth of truths is love._ "Interesting quote, life mantra?"

"Hardly," Brooke guffawed. "My bestie P. Sawyer studied comparative literature at Brown University. When she was a freshman she took some kind of English poets class and found this quote by some guy Philip Bailey... Brinley... Brightly. I can't remember exactly, when she was in town recently she gave me this journal and added quotes and pictures throughout… to inspire me. It's a bunch of hogwash if you ask me, I think anyone with a beating heart is capable of feeling and emoting real love - not just stuffy dead poets."

Clay couldn't help but laugh at her candor, "fair enough." He wasn't sure what was happening between them but he felt this instant attraction to Brooke and he thought now was as good a time as any to make a move before he had the chance to talk himself out of it, "I am going to be in Tree Hill for the next few days do you think yo-"

"Brooke?" Lucas called from the sliding glass doors, "did you remember to apply sunscreen before you got into the pool?"

Brooke tapped Clay's hand, "one minute." She turned her attention to Lucas, "no broody I didn't."

Clay watched on as Lucas opened a towel and beckoned Brooke to get out of the water, "you're being summoned. We can chat another time… maybe?"

Brooke flashed him a warm smile, "I'll be right back and we can finish up." She got off the pool stool she was occupying and swam to the steps. Clay admired her perky behind from the bar and glanced down at her abandoned notebook:

 _GIRLS - Virginia, Bianca, Noelle, Natalie, Felicity._

 _BOYS - Casper, North, Gabriel, Theodore, Joseph._

He looked up and gasped in confusion at the sight in front of him. Brooke pulled the waiting towel around her shoulders and Lucas was now gently applying sunblock to Brooke's visibly swollen and rounded abdomen. _She's pregnant?_ Clay wondered to himself; the insistence on sticking to water and list of names now made sense, _perfect Evans… the first girl that made your heart flutter since Sarah died and she's clearly spoken for and expecting a child._ He guzzled his beer and threw the bottle in the trash, _how could I have been so wrong? I've been out of the dating game too long, I just thought a pregnant woman was flirting with me..._ "Evans, you down for a pick up game before we eat?" Nathan hollared from the deck.

"Yeah man," Clay pulled his stare from Brooke and Lucas laughing together. "Where's the court?"

* * *

 _This is my first time ever writting fanfiction and I've been thinking about it for a while now. So it's sort of become my baby - please be kind and send me a review. I would love to read what you all think about the first chapter and where you think the story is going to go and who the couples are going to be._

 _Until we meet again!_

 _ALEX_


	2. Chapter 2

Callison-Thank you for the review. In case you didn't notice by my screen name I fancy Brooke and Clay together too.

km76-Thank you for the review. Naley has got to be one of my favorite television couples of all time. They were just so solid and consistent. Not a lot of YA geared shows have that. I wish the show had explored Brooke/Clay too, instead of locking them in with Julian and Quinn respectively.

Krystal-Thank you for the review. And thank you for looking this over and telling me to jump right in and post it. This story has personal significance to my own life and I'm hoping to reveal what that all means in the next few chapters.

DeTurge-Thank you for the review.

Guest-Thank you for your review.

Guest-Thank you for the review. I am hoping to update this story a few times a week, thankx for reading.

Mary C-Thank you for the review. I'm glad you like the way I write, writing has always been something I enjoy in my spare time and hearing people say they like my technique is flattering. Brooke as a surrogate... we'll see.

* * *

 **Contagious Chemistry**

 _Chapter 2: Chemistry... It's what's for dinner!_

 ** _The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is a reaction, both are transformed. -_ Carl Jung**

"Where's your head at Clay?" Nathan groaned, "I picked you because you're ruthless with the fouls and the elbows to the face. Come on brother I wanna see some blood." Nathan's eyes bugged out of his head and he started to twitch from the adrenaline now coursing through his veins, "what's got you all twisted today?"

 _Nothing much_ Clay muses to himself, _I am just thinking of all the ways I can murder your brother and get away with it._ Clay shrugs and shakes himself from his homicidal thoughts, "nothing Nate. It's a little bit muggy out here is it always like this?"

Skills laughed, "yeah dawg. Welcome to the Carolinas."

Clay stopped dribbling the ball, "I'm from Raleigh Skills, but thanks for the homecoming." He hurled the ball in Lucas's direction, "I lived in New York for a few years. That's probably why you think I'm some kind of privileged yankee in search of a quiet southern life."

"Think?" Fergie questions before intercepting the pass, "more like know boy. How long were you in New York?" Fergie covers his nose, "we can smell the city stank from over here."

"Almost ten years," Clay answers before doing a discreet body odor check.

"Yankee," they all say in unison.

"Gentlemen," Brooke claps to get their attention on the side of the half court. She was now wearing a floral print jersey dress with short sleeves. "It's time for this barbecue to get started," her hand instinctively settled on her stomach, "in case I need to remind you, I am feeding an army. Let's not make any of us angry."

She looked so innocent and young with the dress and pigtailed hair style, "damn Brooke you look like a bad episode of Teen Mom." Mouth said with a croak, "jailbait am I right guys?"

Brooke blushed at his sincerity, "thank you Marvin."

"Yeah, if you're into pregnant pussy." Tim mutters under his breath.

"Timothy Maxwell Smith!" Brooke yells and Tim snaps to attention. "Jamie and Lydia are both on the deck, not to mention my _What to Expect_ book says Daenerys and Redford have ears now and I will not have them listening to the typical filth that comes tumbling out of your mouth."

"Brooke we've talked about this," Lucas chimed in, while Tim ran to the house without another word, "there is no way that I am signing off on those outlandish names. Veto…"

Brooke huffed and rolled her eyes, "I told you Scott the exact date these children are going to be born, we shook on it. If I'm right, I get to name them, Peyton is on board - do you truly believe you have any say in the matter?"

 _Twins? Who is Peyton?_ Clay wondered before watched Lucas rub Brooke's bump and head towards the deck. "Congratulations by the way, I didn't notice." Clay motioned to Brooke's midsection, "the bar was blocking it... " Clay stammered, "I should have realized."

Brooke kinked her right eyebrow and laughed out loud, "I didn't think about it honestly. They aren't my buns, it's just my oven." Brooke pushed a few flyaway hairs behind her ear, "I didn't tell you the truth before about B-Dazzle," Brooke makes sure no one is watching before she placed her hands on Clay's shoulders and whispered, "my real superpower is designing clothes, being the best aunt I can be, and maintaining relationships with the people that mean the most to me… All the while I'm growing two real life people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. How's that for multitasking?"

Clay couldn't help the grin that spread across his cheeks, "wow the Justice League, the Avengers and the X-Men don't have anything on you B-Dazzle." Clay covers his mouth, "Oops, I mean Brooke."

"Sarcasm," Brooke replied with a head nod, "impressive. Most people around here don't sass me… due to my current condition and all."

 _I have a feeling most people don't mess with you when you aren't pregnant either_ Clay says to himself before adding, "I'm not most people Brooke Davis."

Brooke gave him a once over, "I've noticed." She linked her arm with his, "how about I show you around Tree Hill tomorrow?"

 _Yes!_ _It's like she read my mind,_ Clay screamed inside, "are you allowed to? I don't want you to overexert yourself."

Brooke pinched his side hard, "I will have you know I am still rather sprightly given my present condition. I attend prenatal yoga, I jog on my treadmill, I swim… but if you are worried about me, I could see if one of the boys are free. Our town truly is lovely, I wouldn't want you to miss out on all Tree Hill has to offer because you're worried about my _condition_."

"No!" Clay screeched before clearing his throat, "I mean…" he trailed off when he looked up and noticed they now had an audience, "I would love it if you showed me around Tree Hill tomorrow. My only concession is that you let me buy you lunch and perhaps dinner?" He finished with a question.

"So like a date?" Brooke wondered curiously. She had been shamelessly flirting with him for most of the afternoon, breaking only to let the shock of her intentionally unmentioned pregnancy wear off for a while. _He's tall, blonde and handsome, Haley had been right when she said he was my type, and then some_ Brooke told herself.

"No…" Clay's knees buckled, he hadn't thought about it that way. He hadn't been on a date since before Sarah died six years ago. He gulped hard, "I mean yes… I'm sorry it's a date. I haven't gone out in a very long time, can you forgive me stumbling through the invitation?"

"I can," Brooke leaned up and planted a soft peck on his cheek, "there's nothing to be nervous about. We can work out the details later, I'm dying to hear all about your superpowers."

* * *

Haley walked up behind Nathan and placed her hands at his waist, "stop spying on them, you're starting to creep me out."

"What do you think they're talking about?" Nathan answered anxiously, not taking his eyes off Clay and Brooke.

Haley couldn't help but laugh, Nathan has long since become the _fixer_ of the group. Unfortunately for Brooke, she had become Nathan's latest project without even knowing it. "Brooke Davis has never had trouble talking to a man, she doesn't need your help." Thinking back to all of the high jinx she personally witnessed when they were younger, "trust me. Brooke has it under control."

Nathan nodded in agreement and let his mind drift to any of the dozen conversations he had had with Clay in the past about being a widower, starting over, and how terrified Clay always seemed at the mere mention of moving on with his life - without Sarah by his side. "I'm not worried about Brooke, I was thinking about Clay babe. Aside from a couple of escorts he's hired as arm pieces to keep agency chatter at bay, Clay hasn't gone out with a woman in years."

"He's grown Nathan," Haley turned her head to see Jamie chatting with a few of the friends they let him invite over for dinner. One of them was a girl, "how about we leave them to it and you turn your attention to that." Haley gestured to Jamie, "he on the other hand isn't grown… he isn't even in double digits yet. There is also nine more years on his contract of indentured servitude - anything you say to him, he has to obey with no lip."

Nathan beamed in Jamie's direction, "it doesn't matter how old he is Hales, he's a Scott." Nathan cupped his mouth, "Jamie! Atta boy kid! Hi Cynthia, how's your dad doing? Tell him number 23 says hello!"

Jamie's eyes widened at Nathan's very public display of _brotherhood_ and _solidarity_. Cynthia quickly moved to the other side of Chuck and began talking to someone else, "Smooth, real smooth." Haley murmured under her breath.

"What?" Nathan snickered, "I diffused the girl situation." He pulled Haley in for a kiss and chuckled, "that totally bought us another year in the friend zone, maybe two. You're welcome."

* * *

Leave a review to tell me what you think about the latest developments.

Alex


	3. Chapter 3

Callison-Thank you for the review, glad you're ejoying it so far.

Mary C-Thank you for your kind review. I'm glad you're hooked, this is such a personal story for me. I appreciate your words.

Olivia-This will be a Brooke/Clay story. There will be a little brucas, but strictly in a platonic sense. I'm not sure if Quinn is going to be appearing in this story yet or not. Keep reading.

simplyaprillyn-Thank you for your review. This is my first fanfic, I write in my spare time. I'm currently in nursing school so I had to stop writing anything other than assignments for school. I thought about writing a fanfic that was rattling around my head for a while and out this story came. I hope you'll keep reading and telling me what you think.

Krystal-Peyton will be coming soon. The over the top baby names is going to be explored more and more as Brooke's pregnancy progresses, they are just going to keep getting more and more outlandish. Any crazy suggestions you would like to see thrown into the mix?

Guest-Yes Brooke is carrying the babies for Leyton. The reasoning behind Brooke doing it will be revealed soon.

Guest-Nathan is one of my all time favorite character progressions in OTH history. He's shaping up to be the backbone of this story I hope you like it.

Guest-So happy to hear about your excitement for Clay/Brooke. I don't know why the show never explored them as a couple but I think they could have been great and unlike Julian he didn't any prior relationship with Peyton.

Guest-Thank you so much for your review.

* * *

 **Contagious Chemistry**

 _Chapter 3: I got 99 problems but clothes ain't one!_

 ** _You can't force chemistry to exist where it doesn't in the same way you can't deny it when it does. - Anonymous_**

* * *

"Brooke?" Haley called out as she let herself in, her eyes immediately fell to the trail of clothing leading to the master bedroom. She stopped in the doorway and frowned, "what's wrong tigger?"

Brooke threw herself down on the floor and looked up at Haley, "I can't figure out what to wear on my date with Clay. I think I might need to just cancel."

Haley offered Brooke her hand and pulled her to her feet, "come on how about I make you a cup of tea and you can tell me what this is really about."

Brooke's shoulders relaxed and she reached for her silky robe, "this is the first time I'm going out since," she looked down at her exposed belly, "I took on _renters_. I want it to go well and today is already shaping up to be a huge disaster."

Haley laughed at Brooke's weak attempt at humor, "Clay knows you're pregnant… I'm not sure what all this fuss is about."

"When you were pregnant you and Nathan were married, this is different and I can't believe the possibility of dating wasn't anywhere on my list of possible awkward scenarios when I agreed to do this for Lucas and Peyton." Brooke wrapped the robe tightly around her small frame, "I can just reschedule with Clay when this is all over."

"You're being ridiculous Brooke," Haley replied as they walked in the direction of the kitchen, avoiding the strewn about clothes. "Did you try on everything in your closet?"

"No…" Brooke bit her bottom lip, "just the maternity stuff."

Haley fills the electric kettle and shakes her head, "I know we went over this already, but the bump is just going to get bigger with each passing month. Most of this non-stretchy stuff isn't even going to fit you through the end of the week let alone the end of the pregnancy." Haley closed her eyes and sighed, she hated when she talked to her friends and she heard her _mother's_ voice, "I'm sorry. Spend your money on whatever you want to spend it on."

"Don't do that tutor mom, you're right about my spending." Brooke reasoned, "sometimes I'm really frivolous. Maybe after we get through this crisis you can help me organize all this stuff and cart a lot of it away to charity."

The kettle whistled and Haley poured the piping hot water into two waiting mugs, opened two slips of tea, and left them to steep, "do you want to go out with Clay today? That is the first question you need to answer."

"I've been thinking about this since I got home last night and I don't feel like I can go out with him right now… it feels like cheating or something."

 _Oh here we go,_ Haley thought before speaking. "Cheating on whom exactly?"

Brooke reached out for her mug and blushed, "Lucas and Peyton I guess. The twins?" she ventured. "I was picking out something to wear and everything I put on made me look... pregnant. Before you say anything I know I'm pregnant, I just wanted today to be about me." She swallowed the quiver of her voice before going on, "I'm such a horrible person, what the hell is wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you Brooke." Haley hugged Brooke's shoulders from behind, "come on let's go find something for you to wear on your date."

"There isn't going to be a date Hales," Brooke pouted.

"Yes there is." Haley insisted, "now where is he taking you?"

"He isn't," Brooke bit her lip, "I told him I would give him a tour of Tree Hill."

Haley laughed, "so it will take about twenty minutes, unless you add the River Court, then the whole thing is about thirty minutes."

Brooke narrowed her eyes at Haley, "I was thinking of taking him to Airlie Gardens - it's just outside of Tree Hill."

"Oh, that's a great idea Brooke. Nathan and I almost got married there," Haley shined at the memory, "we decided on the Orton Plantation at the eleventh hour. Now it's closed to the public, I'm glad we went that direction, although the lovely Bottle Chapel at Airlie would have been beautiful too."

"I've loved Airlie since I was a little girl… only thing Ted and Victoria gave me that was worth anything." When Brooke was a child she would often go the the gardens with her nanny and when she outgrew the need for a babysitter Airlie became the quiet serene place she would go to think and confide her deepest thoughts to. Now as an adult Brooke has held an Azalea Membership since she graduated high school, even with Haley and Peyton around, Airlie was like a third best friend - one that always listened and never faltered. When she made the decision to help Peyton and Lucas she was sitting on one of the great stone benches under one of the many moss covered oak trees on the grounds. She was sitting in the middle of the new azalea blossoms when she received the call informing her that her blood tests had returned with the news everyone was hoping for - she was pregnant. Lastly, when she had told Clay Evans, a man she had just met that Tree Hill had so much to offer she had instantly thought of Airlie and how surprised she was at her desire to take him there.

"Why do you have only dresses laid out then?" Haley asked, pulling Brooke from her wayward thoughts.

"It's warm outside and I truly believe I am being baked from the inside out. I wasn't going to wear heels or anything, if we walk the entire circumference of the gardens it's just over a mile, even I wouldn't do that much walking in anything other than a tennis shoe."

"Okay, let's see these two then." Haley pointed to the two dresses laid out on Brooke's bed.

Brooke untied her robe and Haley giggled, "what?"

"Are you ever not a fashion goddess?" Haley folded her arms across her chest, "even your panties look designer."

"Hey," Brooke pouted, "I love these briefs, and they fit over the bump." Brooke defended her right to wear a navy blue brief with white polka dots, "he isn't going to be seeing them anyway, these are for my eyes only… and well yours obviously since you're staring tutor mom."

Haley tossed the seafoam green dress to Brooke and watched on as she pulled it over her head, looking at the tiered layer dress with shoulder ties made Haley think of one thing and one thing only, "it looks like a nightgown."

"I know," Brooke frowned, "I thought so too. I guess that leaves option two." Brooke quickly pulled the cotton floral maxi dress with crochet bodice over her head and let out a deep breath, "what do you think of this one?"

Haley gave Brooke a once over, she was glowing from head to toe. "Well it's official, I hate you. You have got to be one of the prettiest pregnant women I have ever seen."

"Stop it, I have seen you with child twice and both times you looked like you swallowed a basketball. Besides, I am trying to not look pregnant today, did I succeed?"

"Yes tigger you did," Haley took a seat in the wingback chair in the corner, "have you told Peyton about your date yet?"

"No," Brooke answered, "I am going to tell her when she gets home tomorrow. Should I have called her, I didn't tell Luke either." She finished with an alarmed tone. "Should I have told them before I accepted the date invitation?"

"No honey, it's fine. Finish getting ready, I will drop you off on the way to pick up Jamie and Lydia." Haley replied in a soothing voice. Knowing Lucas like she did, she's certain he's going to have an opinion on Brooke dating while she's carrying his children but that is a topic for another day, Brooke is frazzled enough…

* * *

Brooke heard the door chime at Clothes over Bros and looked up with a smile, "hello stranger."

"Sorry I'm early," Clay grinned, "I wasn't sure how long it would take to find a parking space." She came around the counter and Clay let out a gasp of air, "wow. That is some dress." _Some dress, what the hell is some dress you idiot!_ He scolded himself before continuing, "I mean… you look beautiful." _Much too beautiful for my shabby blue button down, cargo shorts and boat shoes._

She giggled when he adjusted his collar, "I think you look great too." She began, practically reading his mind, "it's going to be another warm one today, how else would you dress? A full suit? We would have spent most of the day in the hospital with you reeling from a bout of heat stroke." She shook her head, "that wouldn't have been any fun."

"No, probably not." Clay felt his mouth dry and he wanted to scream. _Stay calm man, she's just a girl._

"Well I am typically not open on Sunday's but I figured C/B was a good place to start our tour." She motioned around her, "this is Clothes over Bros, my flagship store, my first baby."

"Impressive," Clay looked around at all the delicate items of clothing, "why Clothes over Bros?"

"That's a long story…" Brooke pulled her leather purse off the back counter and took out her keys. "Short answer I was getting over a bad breakup, I needed a distraction and C/B was born. No good hoe lets her bro get in between her and her clothes." _Jesus that sounded better in my head,_ "We can get into the longer version another time. I want to show you the rest of Main Street then we're going to need a car. You mentioned that you drove here right?"

"Yes," Clay answered quickly, "sadly the Batmobile is in the shop so we'll have to settle for Claudine."

Brooke locked the glass door and linked her arm with his, "so how deep does the affinity for comic books go?"

"So deep," Clay laughed as his expose skin tingled under her soft touch. "I could tone it down if you would like."

"No, I kind of like it. When I made B-Dazzle's costume Jamie gave me some comic books to read."

"Any favorites?"

"Yes, I like Archie and The Walking Dead."

Clay spun his keys in his hand, "wow really. Nate and Haley let Jamie read The Walking Dead?"

"Oh goodness no. When I went to the comic book store the kid behind the counter recommended it - gory but gratifying all at the same time."

He stopped walking, wanting to geek out over Brooke talking about comic books but instead he ran his free hand through his hair, "back to the tour."

"Alright," Brooke looked up. "This is Karen's Cafe. Karen is Lucas's mother, Haley runs things now mostly. At the end of the street is Max's Music shop, TRIC and Red Bedroom Records. TRIC is the nightclub Karen opened when we were in high school, Red Bedroom is Peyton's label and her and Lucas just bought Max's to reopen to the public sometime soon." Brooke licked her lips, "this is Tree Hill."

"This is it huh?" He said before surveying the quiet brick paved street.

"Yep, small town. Would you be interested in seeing my favorite place in all of North Carolina before we come back here and have lunch at Karen's?"

"I would love you-" Clay cleared his throat, _damn nerves_ "I meant to say I would love to. I'm sorry it has really been a long time since I've gone out, clearly that is starting to show."

Brooke put her head on his shoulder, "you're too hard on yourself. Relax please or the next stop isn't going to be any fun."

 _Easier said than done, she doesn't see what I see. Being out with such a gorgeous woman is not something I am used to,_ "you have a point." Clay stops in front of his black corvette stingray, "Brooke I would like you to meet Claudine… Claudine - Brooke Davis."

Now it was Brooke's turn to gasp, "oh my. She's beautiful, what year?"

"1966." He unlocks her door and opens it, the gentle breeze kicked up and Clay caught a whiff of Brooke's dainty floral perfume. He let her get in the car and walked around to the driver's side, when he reached for the handle his hands were shaking. _Why didn't I just rent a car?_ Claudine was painstakingly restored over the course of eighteen months with his father in law Sam Shaw, the finishing touches were complete only a week before Sara took her final breath on this earth. _Sara wouldn't want you to be alone, it's been six years… It's time to move on - maybe that can be with Brooke?_ He got in the car, "where to beautiful?"

* * *

Lucas and Nathan were heading to the cafe after an intense game of one on one at the River Court, "I can't believe I beat you."

"It was luck Luke, don't let it go to your head." Nathan muttered as he bounced the ball. "I had too much beer last night."

"You stopped drinking before the rest of us did," Lucas reminded with a giant grin.

"Whatever," Nathan huffed. He spotted Clay and Brooke together by the corvette and his expression softened. _They both look like they're enjoying themselves, that's terrific news._ "Come on brother let's cross the street."

"Why? We can cross at the light in front of the cafe," Lucas wonders. "Like we always do. What's up?"

"Nothing, there just aren't any cars coming." Nathan knew for a fact Lucas didn't know about Brooke's date with Clay or their one on one would have turned into a brooding session on the bleachers. If they crossed the street now, he probably wouldn't even notice them.

Lucas looked down the street, "fine. I guess we can cross, you better be prepared to pay up lil brother. I'm starving," he saw the Clothes over Bros sign illuminated in the front window, "that's weird."

 _Shit,_ Nathan thought, "she's a grown woman Luke. You aren't the boss of her, she can do what she wants."

"What are you talking about?" Lucas frowned, "are you coming down with the flu or is alzheimer's hitting you early?"

"What are _you_ talking about?" Nathan parroted back to him.

"Brooke left a sign on at Clothes over Bros?" Lucas scratched his head, "who's a grown woman?" Before Nathan could answer Lucas heard a giggle - Brooke's giggle. He watched as Brooke drove off in Clay's car, "why are Brooke and Clay together?"

"She was giving him a tour of Tree Hill," Nathan answered quickly.

"That doesn't require a car," Lucas said out of breath, "this is pretty much it. What are you hiding Nate?"

"Nothing man, let it go." Nathan tossed him the ball, "I could really go for a chocolate milkshake right about now."

"Are they on a date?" Lucas pondered, "she didn't say anything about a date when I dropped her off at home last night. Why wouldn't she have said something?"

"Because it isn't your business Luke." Nathan slapped his back, "you have been a little intense with her lately. Is it because Peyton is out of town right now?"

"I have not been tense with her," Lucas sniped. "I have my concerns, that's all. I mean what do we really know about that Clay guy. He could be a serial killer."

Nathan let ot a loud chuckle, "he isn't a serial killer. He's been my agent for five years, he's harmless. Now come on, let's get a milkshake."

Lucas couldn't quiet the thoughts jumping in his head at the moment, he and Brooke didn't have secrets. Ever since they reconnected as friends during college they had an understanding - full disclosure always. When he and Peyton asked her about being a surrogate her main concerns had been weight gain and aunt privileges, he never in a million years thought Brooke would even want to date in her current condition. Does Peyton know about this? Why hadn't she said something to him? "I think I'm going to just head home Nate, rain check on the milkshake?"

"Don't do this Luke." Nathan scowled, "I'll throw in a piece of your mom's famous chocolate cake. Haley has finally gotten the recipe down."

"She's pregnant with my kids Nathan, how would you feel if you saw Haley going on a date with some random guy when she was pregnant with Jamie or Lydia?"

"Not even remotely the same thing, Brooke is pregnant with leyton babies. Yours and _Peyton's_ , Brooke is just keeping the babies safe for a while. It's like she's not even pregnant, once those babies come, she becomes auntie Brooke and you and Peyton become parents."

Lucas let that last part really sink in, "I guess you're right. I don't have a right to be mad," Lucas nodded in reassurance. He may not have a right to be angry right now, but he couldn't help the hurt now brewing in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

Write a review to let me know what you thought of this extra long chapter. I am already working on chapter 4, hoping to have it up sometime tomorrow. I know some of you might be upset by the end of the this chapter I want to stress this is not a Clay/Brooke/Lucas triangle story. I think I mentioned before that this story has special meaning to me and I was pulling a lot of it from a real life experience that my family shared.

Next chapter will explore the rest of Clay and Brooke's date, Peyton comes home and Lucas continues to be uneasy about the idea of Brooke dating while being a surrogate.

Alex


	4. Chapter 4

dixie326-Thank you for the review. I love Brooke and Clay too. I wish the show had explored them as a couple, they could have been epic.

Guest-Thanks for the review. Let me reassure you Lucas is not jealous in a romantic sense. His issues will start to make sense soon enough.

Olivia-Oh no, don't hate Lucas. He's struggling right now with accepting that Brooke has a life outside of their tight little circle. He'll come around, hopefully you'll be singing a different tune in the upcoming chapters.

Naley23alwaysforever-Thank you for the reviews. I'm glad you caught the I love you. It's fun writing Clay as not so perfect and together all the time. Haley and Nathan are two of my favorites if they were real people I would absolutely want them to be my friends.

Mary C-Yay! Glad you can read the chemistry between them. When I was writing it, everything felt hot and kinetic but you can never be sure what others will think. Lucas is being overprotective, Peyton is going to have her hands full when she gets home.

Guest-Thank you for the review. Surrogacy is something close to my heart... It's a very selfless thing to do and who better to do it for Peyton and Lucas than Brooke?

Guest(s)-Thank you guys for the reviews!

DiDevil-Thank you for the review. I got the idea because my older sister was a surrogate last year for one of her closest and dearest friends. I always thought it would be an interesting idea for a story. So happy you are enjoying it so far.

Krystal-Drama might be brewing. I liked making Brooke a little frazzled, I think it speaks to how much she really likes Clay already. I love the three girls together and there will be lots of interactions between Haley, Brooke and Peyton in the future. I am not sure how to incorporate Logan into the story, so Clay might just be a widower. Any ideas how that could work?

thibbs65-Thank you so much for the compliment. The Scott brothers are the best.. Nathan's relationship with Clay might also be an issue for Lucas a little, now he feels like Clay is moving in on Brooke. Even though they aren't a couple he still feels like she needs his protection since she's pregnant. So that is going to cause some drama in the coming chapters. I love Naley too, their so great. They will be in this story a lot in the next few chapters and throughout the entire story so keep reading.

* * *

 **Contagious Chemistry**

 _Chapter 4: Won't You Take Me To… Crazy Town!_

 _ **They say relationships sometimes don't work out because of bad timing, there's no such thing as bad timing. You either want it enough to make it work or you don't.**_ **\- Anonymous**

* * *

"Turn out just up ahead, do you see the sign for Airlie Gardens? That's where we are headed," Brooke says from the passenger seat.

Clay nodded in affirmation and quickly found a parking spot close to the front entrance, "this place is beautiful."

Brooke's eyes glowed with excitement, "you haven't seen anything yet. Come on."

Clay got out, locked the car and joined Brooke at the passenger side. Brooke reached for his hand first, he felt the now familiar tingling sensation deep inside him every time their skin made contact and smiled as they headed towards the _Garden Services Center_. He saw Brooke fiddling with her purse, "oh no, let me."

"No," Brooke flashed a card to the woman sitting at the desk. "Brooke Davis plus one."

The woman smiled and handed Brooke a ledger where she signed her name, "enjoy your afternoon Miss Davis."

Brooke handed Clay a sticker and walked back out the glass door they came in, "come here often?" Clay said in his best nonchalant voice.

"Not as often as I would like but this place has been my home away from home for almost twenty years now." Brooke beamed as she handed him a map, "pick your poison."

"Well Veronica I think we should head to the Airlie Oak seeing as it's the closest destination on this here map.."

"Oh Archie you won't be disappointed and we don't even have to move the jalopy to get to it." Brooke laughed before continuing, "The Airlie Oak tree has been around since the 1500's. It's sort of a local celebrity, now they have this little security fence to protect the roots but when I was a little girl I used to sit," Brooke pointed directly in front of her, "right there. The best shady spot in the whole garden."

Clay took a moment to soak in the massive oak tree as it came into view, the trunk of the tree looked rugged and strong. It would have to be to weather five hundred years of storms, including several devastating hurricanes in recent memory. _It's amazing - this tree still stands and yet people still ask for proof of God and all His glory?_ "If this tree could talk, imagine the life it could share with the world." Clay hadn't meant to say that out loud, he smiled sheepishly until he saw Brooke's approving face.

"Exactly, I mean the dozens of settlements alone that could have chopped it down and used it as building material." Brooke brushed a few strands of hair from her face, "when I was a girl one of my favorite movies was the Disney cartoon _Pocahontas_ , have you seen it?"

"Yes."

"One of the central characters is the grandmother willow tree and I used to cross my fingers and beg this tree to talk to me. Silly I know, but whenever I was struggling with a life decision, it didn't matter how big or small the Airlie Oak would listen to everything I had to say and _give_ me the answer." A blush spread across her cheeks, "and now I sound like a lunatic."

Clay pulled Brooke into his arms, brushed away the soft chocolate tresses the wind kept blowing about and kissed her lips chastely. A few seconds later, he pulled back and smiled, "I'm sorry, but the tree... told me do it."

Brooke hadn't wanted the kiss to end, the last time she was kissed by a man in a romantic fashion was a year ago when Owen the sexy bartender from Tric, had kissed her one last time before leaving for a new start in Chicago. "You should never give someone else credit for making the first move, it makes you sound indecisive."

"In that case, I didn't hear anything." Clay cleared his throat and pressed his head to hers, "I wanted to kiss you Brooke. Hell I wanted to kiss you yesterday but I couldn't get out of my own head long enough to make my move in front of so many witnesses. I told you my game was rusty."

"Doesn't feel rusty to me." Brooke replied, "now what do you want to do?"

 _More kissing,_ Clay screamed to himself before looking down at the map, "how about we head to the Bottle Chapel." After a few short minutes of walking along an unpaved trail Brooke let out a deep breath, "we can turn back if you've had enough for the day."

"I'm pregnant, not senile." Brooke instantly regretted the words as they left her lips.

"You're too quick witted to be senile," Clay pulled her hand into his. "I know this is going to sound crazy but I mentioned before that my dating game was rusty." Brooke nodded, "my game with pregnant women is like non existent."

Clay rolled his eyes and made a silly face, Brooke couldn't help but giggle, "I wanted today to be about me," she sighed heavily, "and you obviously. I didn't really want to talk about the-"

"Watermelon you smuggled into the park?" Clay ventured before crossing his heart and pretending to zip his mouth shut, "I wasn't going to tell anyone."

Brooke laughed again, "it's awkward isn't it? I knew I should have waited-"

"Waited for what?" Clay interrupted for the second time. "You're doing something incredibly selfless, you're helping your friends become parents. I know I only just met you but it seems pretty black and white to me Brooke, it doesn't need to be awkward."

"But it will be," Brooke frowned before relaxing her shoulders. She looked around at the serene garden surroundings and instantly wanted to apologize for arguing here of all places.

Clay pulled her to a bench with glass mosaic legs, "why does it need to be awkward? I'm thirty years old Brooke, that makes me a grown ass man, I am not sure what I'm missing here. Are you in a relationship with Lucas and Peyton and that's why this will be weird?"

Brooke brought her hand to her mouth to stifle the laughter that just flew from her mouth, "no it's nothing like that."

"Then I don't see any reason why we can't continue this date." Clay rubbed her leg, "I think you're great, I would love to spend the next few days getting to know you and see where that finds us."

"I have a lot of rocks though."

"Rocks?"

"Yes, most people refer to it as baggage. I like saying rocks instead, I have a lot of rocks."

"By that definition I have rocks too," Clay assured. He didn't like the idea of referring to his beloved Sara as a _rock_ but she had a point. "We all have a past, how about today we simply concentrate on the now. You can tell me about your rocks another day."

Brooke couldn't believe her ears, before she could stop herself she burst into tears, "I'm sorry, damn hormones."

Clay places his arms around her back and embraced her, "there's no reason to apologize. Hey do you want to hear a joke?" Brooke nodded against his chest, "have you heard Wolverine's pun about Dorian Grey?"

"No."

"Damn, that's too bad because it never get's old." Clay said in a playful tone.

Brooke said the punchline in her head a second time then started laughing, "wait it's funny because Dorian Grey doesn't age right?"

Clay tilted Brooke's chin to his, kissed her gently and smirked, "yes."

* * *

Nathan glared across the table, "stop it alright. I'm leaving in a few days, I am giving up precious time with my children to hang out with you Luke and for the last hour and a half you've been about as fun as watching paint dry."

Lucas frowned, "Haley _made_ you come out with me today, so don't give me any of that precious time with your kids bullshit. Does Haley know about Brooke?"

"Know what about Brooke?" Haley called out from the counter, "the acoustics in this place are top notch. Thinking of all the private conversations your mother could have heard over the years…" Haley trailed off, "nope, not going to go there today." She walked over to the table and took a seat next to Nathan, "does Haley know what about Brooke?" Nathan placed his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

"That she's on a date," Lucas spit. "Peyton must be in the studio, she isn't returning any of my text messages."

"Peyton doesn't know. Brooke hasn't told her yet, she didn't want to bother her while she was away tending to Red Bedroom business. I think it's great that Brooke had a date." _She's been so focused on the health of the babies, she has really been neglecting her own needs._ Haley added to herself before turning to Nathan, "besides her and Clay look rather cute together, don't you think."

"Yep, and he's a great guy Luke." Nathan finished. "We are both married, it's time Brooke finds her place too."

"She is pregnant and she is basically married to C/B. She doesn't need a guy in her life right now."

"That isn't fair Lucas Eugene Scott," Haley chastised. "And you know it. You're just too much of a control freak to realize you can't stop her from dating anyone right now."

"I might not be able to, but I know someone that can." Lucas squinted out at the sun peaking out of the gray clouds, and he saw the black corvette park on the opposite side of the street.

"Don't involve Peyton in this mess Lucas." Haley scolded, "I'm warning you. You aren't going to like her answer."

Lucas opened his wallet and tossed out some cash, "I need to get out of here." _Was Haley right? No, Peyton would be just as worked up about Brooke dating - perhaps even more so._

Nathan and Haley both heard the door jingle and saw Clay and Brooke enter together. "Maybe you should start seeing that shrink again, you need drugs big brother… I'm serious."

Lucas rolled his eyes and headed for the door, "Brooke can I talk to you for a second."

"Not right now broody," Brooke watched as Clay picked a booth in the corner. "It just started to drizzle outside, I am in desperate need of a hot chocolate, I'm starving, and I'm _with_ someone."

Lucas balled his fists in his jacket, "fine." He huffed, "don't forgot Peyton and I are picking you up Tuesday morning for your check up, we will be there at 9:00 sharp."

Brooke giggled, "I don't need you to remind me Luke, I set the appointment."

"Well you seem to be forgetting about a lot of things lately. Just wanted to make sure you remembered Keith and Ellie."

Brooke laughed again, and noticed Nathan, Haley and Clay starring in their direction. "Peyton vetoed those names already and really Luke… You think I need to be reminded of Wolfgang and Monet?" Brooke brought her hands to her stomach for the first time since she left the house this morning, "they go with me everywhere I go silly. How could I possibly forget about my other favorite Scott sibset?"

"You sure aren't acting like they're important to you right now." Lucas looks over his shoulder, Haley is shaking her head and Nathan stands up, "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

* * *

Lucas heard the front door and closed his eyes, "drinking in the dark isn't a good look for you baby."

"Peyton!" Lucas squaked. "What are you doing home? I wasn't supposed to pick you up until tomorrow afternoon." Lucas reached out for his cell phone quickly and opened his calendar to confirm that he wasn't wrong.

Peyton leaned her hip against the door frame and smiled, "I caught an earlier flight. I thought you would be happy to see me but if you and your mistress need a few more minutes to wrap things up I can step outside."

Lucas loved how effortless she always looked. Even clad in leggings, a Ramones band t-shirt, and a button down cardigan she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. "Does it look like there is anyone here? I was alone… drinking." _I sound like Hemingway…_ he mused to himself, _never a good look for an author._

"It was a joke Luke, lighten up." Peyton marched into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. She opened the bottle of whiskey and poured herself a glass, "only awesome part about not being the pregnant one… Gentlemen Jack." Peyton felt the hot liquor on her lips then swallowed the contents of the highball glass. "When I landed in Wilmington my phone received a rather obscene amount of text messages from a certain someone. Care to talk about it?"

"Nope." He replied with a sheepish tone.

"Really… You don't wanna tell me about the one way ticket you bought to crazy town while I was in Miami?" Peyton sighed. "I have already talked to Haley, you want to tell me your side of the story?"

* * *

Just reiterating that this story with not be a Lucas/Brooke/Clay triangle love story. Lucas is very much in love with Peyton. The next few chapters are going to get to the root of his issues with Brooke dating someone.

I also want to say sorry for the delay I got caught up in my kinesiology class and time just got away from me. It shouldn't happen again.

Happy Halloween everybody! Be safe - only treats, no tricks.

Alex

 **P.S. I need your opinion on whether or not to include Logan (Clay's son with Sara) in this fanfic. Let me know your thoughts in a review or a PM. :-)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hi everyone I am so sorry for the delay. I am not sure if I mentioned this already but I am in nursing school and I had an opportunity to volunteer clinical hours last semester so I was busy busy busy. Now I am home until the new semester starts and the holidays are over so I am hoping to get some chapters done. Hopefully a lot of you are still reading.**

Mary C-Thank you so much for your reviews.. And the follow up review about updating. I was swamped with nursing school and had no time to work on this story for a few months. I am currently enjoying my winter break from school and I'm hoping to get this story updated a few time before I head back to Florida in a few weeks. Lucas is my least favorite character from the show so it's hard to write him sometimes, I'm glad his issues are reading through. Thank you again for all of your kind words, I appreciate them more than I can say.

Guest-I made the decision regarding Logan's involvement in this story clear by the end of this chapter. I hope you're pleased with where I decided to go. It will all be unfolding over the next grouping of chapters. Thank you for reading.

Guest-Brooke's act will be discussed further in the next few chapters. Peyton is her best friend, they're basically sisters... I mentioned before this story had personal meaning to me, I will divulge more on that sooner. Thank you for reading!

thibbs65-Thank you for your review. I love Brooke and Clay together, and there will be lots of Naley parts in the next few chapters. Lucas is struggling with his own stuff, Naley just wants to make sure he keeps everything into perspective. When I set out to write this story I thought OTH characters would fit it perfectly and Brooke Davis was always the selfless friend willing to do anything for his friends even if it was to the determent of herself. Without people like Naley in her corner her when Lucas pushes her Clay wouldn't stand a chance.

Naley23alwaysforever-I'm so glad you loved the rest of Brooke and Clay's date. It was a lot of fun to write, when I'm home in North Carolina I love going to Airlie Gardens so of course it had to be one of Brooke's favorite places in this story. Brooke and Clay are so fun to write, Lucas is having a bit of an issue there will be a little bit of resolution in this chapter so stay tuned. Thank you for reading.

* * *

 **Contagious Chemistry**

 _Chapter 5: Hey I just met you and this is crazy, but I'm expecting and they aren't your babies!_

 _ **Chemistry is you touching my arm and setting fire to my mind.**_ **\- Nayyirah Waheed**

* * *

Clay placed the car in park when he entered the driveway to Brooke's house, since her chat with Lucas she had been painfully quiet. Long gone was the charismatic smile, in it's place a sadness settled over her. "Thank you for driving me home Clay, I appreciate it." Brooke nodded in his direction before getting out of the car, "have a safe trip back to Charlotte."

Clay watched her saunter up the driveway and he gripped the steering wheel tightly, _Lucas Scott ruined our date there has got to more to this story than anyone is letting on._ He sighed heavily and opened his car door, "Brooke!"

She turned to him, "did I forget something?"

"No, I did." Clay jogged towards her and gulped hard.

"What?"

"This," Clay pulled Brooke into his arms and kissed her with fervor. A few moments later and they broke away, Brooke hadn't been kissed like that in years, she felt as if she was could float away at any second. "I will be back in Tree Hill next week, can I take you to dinner?"

Brooke bite down on her raw bottom lip and nodded slowly. "Yes," she croaked. "I mean…" she let out a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders, "yes. I would love to go out with you again."

"Fantastic," Clay grinned, "I'll call you tomorrow beautiful."

Brooke noticed she was trembling, "umm yeah." She shakily opened her purse and fumbled for her keys.

"Here," Clay let his hands drift from the small of her back to hers and quickly found her keys. "Let me get that for you."

Brooke desperately wanted to invite him in but the beating she was now receiving from the twins made her reconsider. "Thank you. I'm not sure where my mind is right now." The welcoming glow from the hallway now illuminated them, "I had a nice time today Clay." She pulled him to her for one final embrace and kissed his cheek. "See you next week."

* * *

"Are you just going to stare at me?" Lucas slurred from the other side of the table.

Peyton shrugged her shoulders and stood up, "I think Nathan is right maybe you should schedule an appointment with Dr. Bishop."

"I don't need to see Dr. Bishop again." Lucas spit before pulling the whiskey bottle closer to him, "you didn't see her Peyt, I'm telling you if you had been there you would feel differently right about now."

"I wouldn't," Peyton reasoned even though she didn't see the point of continuing the argument. "Brooke is my best friend, when we discovered after my last miscarriage that it wasn't possible for me to carry a child to term…" Peyton could feel the fresh tears stinging her eyes, "I knew she would be our surrogate even before she agreed. Even after everything the three of us had been through, she didn't hesitate to help us have our dream."

Lucas felt about two inches tall, _she's right._ He thought, _it was a miracle they were all still standing._ The twisted three-way relationship with him at the apex - it had threatened to destroy all of their lives, but like the calm after a storm they all survived and were better people because of it. "All valid points but why does she have to find a relationship right now. I don't even want to think about how serious this whole thing could get."

Peyton stifled a chuckle, "they went on one date. No reason to start planning a shotgun wedding just yet."

"You're probably right." Lucas leaned back in his chair and quickly put out his arms, "I'm drunk."

"No, you passed drunk a long time ago Lucas. You are rapidly approaching blackout territory, so I'm going to take you to bed now and laugh at you tomorrow when you are hungover." Peyton pulled Lucas out of his seat, "come on boozey. After you realize what an asshat you were to our baby mama an apology is in order. And you know how sensitive Brooke can be… you might have to grovel and buy her some flowers."

Lucas smacked his lips together, "I really messed up didn't I?" In his drunken stupor he found remarkable clarity and knew what he had to do, "after I fix everything with Brooke I'm going to call Dr. Bishop."

"Lucas Scott ladies and gentlemen," Peyton bellowed down their empty hallway.

"The guest bedroom?" Lucas questioned before steadying himself with the doorframe. "You don't wanna sleep with-"

"My loving and adoring husband while he's got enough alcohol in his system to kill off even the toughest infection." Peyton finished, "nope… not a chance." She kissed his dry mouth, "I love you Lucas, I'll see you in the morning."

"I love you Peyton." Lucas opened the door and caught sight of the familiar surrounding of this childhood bedroom. "Am I a prick for feeling the way I feel?"

"No," Peyton half smiled, "jealousy is normal. I'm glad you're going to call Dr. Bishop I think it will help a lot. Goodnight, I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

Clay's drive back to the hotel was silent, his thoughts had long since drowned out the soft melody escaping the speakers. Brooke wasn't the first woman he had kissed since Sara passed, but she was the first one that felt like it could lead to something more and in that moment he felt like he had lost his wife all over again. Clay closed his eyes when he reached the red light and saw flashes of Sara's long honey colored hair, steely blue eyes and loving smile. Some days six years seemed like a lifetime, he couldn't remember exactly how she smelled or how she took her coffee and other days it was as though she left this earth moments ago. In Clay's experience the wound of lost love hasn't healed completely, some days the scab is still raw and bleeds, he gave up long ago trying to discern how grief was supposed to feel. He gasped and opened his eyes when he heard the horn behind him, "try not to get killed on the way to the hotel," he warned himself. He pulled into the busy parking lot and headed towards the main entrance.

"Good evening sir." The night manager said, "checking in?"

"No, Clay Evans do you have any messages for me?"

The man turned through his guest book and pulled out one small piece of paper, "one sir. Do you require anything else?"

Clay reached out for the piece of paper, knowing instantly who it was from before looking. "No, have a good night."

"You too sir."

As Clay waited for the elevator he looked down at the sheet of paper -

 _Clayton:_

 _What kind of modern hotel are you staying in that doesn't have room voicemail? Logan is feeling much better, tomorrow will be his last day of breathing treatments according to Dr. Leslie. If traffic is terrible tomorrow it isn't any trouble if he stays with us another night. Drive safe, talk to you when you're back in Charlotte…_

 _Sabrina_

* * *

I can't wait to see what all of you are thinking about this chapter. I know it was short, but I had an idea of where I wanted the next chapter to begin so this one had to be short. Hopefully a lot of you are still reading and haven't given up on this story yet.

Alex


	6. Chapter 6

Mary C-Thank you for your kind review. Clay saw what he wanted and went for it, Lucas will either need to put up or shut up.

Guest-I love Clay/Brooke stories too. My favorite is _Today Was a Fairytale_ by my friend Krystal, I know she's been MIA lately. Writer's block stinks, hopefully that will change for her soon. Back to your review, I am looking forward to writing Brooke and Logan meeting. I just didn't want to do it too soon, any comments on how many dates they should go on before Clay takes her to meet his son?

Naley23alwaysforever-You are 100% right about Clay offering advice. It will start to happen when he tells Brooke more about Sara and his past... I sense it will be another opportunity for Lucas to hate him but we will see soon enough. Ding ding! Dr. Bishop will be a therapist making their story debut here in the next few chapters, the character is AU but is borrowed a lot from my older sister - the inspiration for this story.

thibbs65-Thank you for your review, alert and kind words. Writing is one of my favorite hobbies and I do it because I like it, but it's great when other people give you accolades.

Guest-Thank you so much for your review. I have a rough outline of the next dozen chapters or so, so far those have been keeping me on track but we are still mostly in the setup to where the story is going to go. So please keep reading, glad you like it so far.

Krystal-I know you didn't review but I just wanted to say thank you again for looking over this chapter and giving me a few ideas on subtle touches to add to the chapter. You know you're one of my all time favorites, I hope the writer's block clears up soon and you start updating your stories again. I miss them, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

* * *

 **Contagious Chemistry**

 _Chapter 6: Maybe we'll meet at a club, and fall so deeply off a bridge..._

 _ **The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained. -**_ **Bilal Nasir Khan**

* * *

 **Flashback**

 _What the hell am I doing here?_ I wonder to myself as I watch my remaining Sigma Chi brethren jump into what I assume can only be frigid water. I let out a deep breath and remove my shoes, "how's it feel guys?"

"Stop stalling Evans, ya big pussy!" One of the seniors crows from the water. "Jump now freshman that's an order."

I nod and walk along the pedestrian side of the bridge that heads into town, it's October and I can feel the wind begin to pick up, _why are we doing this again?_ I glare down at the guys bobbing in the water and hear another quick succession of splashes. I step on a rock and mutter to myself, I am about to just turn around when I see her… Long honey blonde curls and she's shaking like a leaf. "Nervous?"

She scowls in my direction, "I could tell you the same thing."

I nod again, step over the guardrail and inch towards her. "I thought this was just a stupid frat boy thing?"

"Nope," she looks down and bites on her bottom lip. "Sorority girls at this school are a bunch of joiners I guess. I knew I should have gone to school in California."

Her cheeks flush and I want to ask her what her name is, if she's seeing someone, does she prefer diamonds or sapphires and everything in between. My heart is telling me she is special so I continue to inch closer. "How about we jump together?"

She brushes the hair from her face and I get a better glimpse of her sparkling blue eyes, "yeah, okay."

I rest my hand on hers. "On the count of two we jump in together."

"The count of two?" She questions with an arched eyebrow.

I chuckle, "yes. We are gonna blaze our own path honey, we're in such a hurry we can't wait till three." I feel my cheeks ache with the giant grin they're trying to hold up, "just think of it, this will be something we can tell our grandchildren someday."

Her eyes widen and I fear I might have blown my shot, "alright on the count of two." She places her hand in mine, "one…"

"Two…" We both push off from the bridge and jump. My body hits the water and instead of gasping for breath I feel warmth emanating from my hand under the mystery girl's touch. I shake my head when I reach the surface and I hear the guys screaming my name, but my attention is only on the girl still gripping my hand tightly.

Before I can stop her she throws her hands around my neck and kisses me hard, she tastes of cherries and vanilla and I feel my body getting away from me fast. All I want to do is give in to the arousal and insist we head back to the Sigma Chi house. But my lustful thoughts are squelched when only a few seconds later it's over and she wipes the water from her face, "there… now that's a story for the grandchildren." She ducks away from me and swims to the shore.

"What's your name?" I call out before I can get my body in gear to swim after her.

I cannot take my eyes off of her as she pulls a rubber band from her wrist and wraps her hair into a tight bun, "Sara." She smiles, smiling is always a good sign I reassure myself, "my name is Sara."

 **End Flashback**

* * *

Clay jumped up with a start at the sound of his 6:45am wake up call. He often dreamt of his Sara but today was different, it felt so real. He half expected her to be lying next to him, he looked down at his hands, "I could feel her touching me…" He trailed off, not wanting to dwell too much in the moment, there was a long drive in his future and he didn't need the distraction. Charlotte and Tree Hill were roughly four hours apart, longer with traffic, shorter if the roads were clear and Clay really let Claudine fly. _I will end up driving the speed limit the entire way home,_ Clay says to himself, _Logan can't be an orphan before his seventh birthday._ His thoughts were interrupted for a second time in as many minutes; this time by his ringing cell phone, "this is Clay."

"Hey it's Nate," Nathan Scott whispered into the receiver. "How did everything go with Davis yesterday?"

Clay shook his head and snickered, "hiding from Haley I presume."

"No!" Nathan bellowed before clearing his throat and continuing in the same hushed tone, "Haley isn't the boss of me. Now cut it out and answer the question."

Thinking of the cheery brunette made Clay smile from ear to ear, "we had a nice time. When I come back to Tree Hill next week we're going out again."

Nathan fist pumped the open air around him, "I knew you two would hit it off. I haven't ever seen you light up like that before man, I'm just glad you gave in to my pestering and came by a few days ago."

"Me too," Clay conceded, "although a heads up that she was pregnant with your _brother's_ kids would have been nice. I mean it doesn't really matter that Brooke is pregnant, she won't be that way for much longer." He was surprised by his candor about the situation and honestly the pregnancy didn't bother him, the only thing he worried about was Lucas Scott meddling in their affairs when they were just beginning to get to know each other. "What was his problem yesterday, he said something to Brooke and after he stormed out of the cafe she clammed up tight. I didn't think she would agree to a second date after that."

Nathan sighed heavily, "Luke has to work through some issues. Just don't let him stop you from seeing Brooke again." Nathan paused awkwardly, not sure of how to proceed, "are you going to introduce her to Logan?"

"No," Clay answered quickly, "it's much too early for that sort of thing. We didn't even talk about Logan, mostly we talked about Brooke. I know a lot about her now, you didn't tell me that she was Jamie and Lydia's godmother." _Is that wrong? I didn't think to mention my son to a girl I'm interested in, she seems to enjoy being around children. What was I waiting for?_ "We didn't talk about Sara either… is that weird? Should I have mentioned Sara right away?"

"No," Nathan reaffirmed. "You can tell her when you're ready Clay and Brooke is going to love Logan when she meets him."

Clay laughed to himself, "we went on one date Nathan. I don't think we will be discussing wedding venues anytime soon."

"You never know, Haley and I were only together a few months before we got married. Aside from a few growing pains it's been ten amazing years."

 _I had that once_ Clay mused to himself, "I need to get going, I have a long drive ahead of me and I want to get to Charlotte before dark."

"I understand, drive safe man. We'll talk at the end of the week." Nathan was about to leave for the pre-season and he knew contract negotiations were coming up soon. He loved watching Clay in agent mode, the man was a pit-bull and Nathan counted himself lucky to have him in his corner. He looked up and saw Haley in the hallway with her delicate hands folded across her chest, "I gotta run too. Talk soon. Bye" before he got an answer he ended the call and slid the phone back into his jean pocket. "Good morning my beautiful wife. What would you like for breakfast this morning? My treat."

"I thought we agreed you weren't going to insert yourself in Clay and Brooke's affairs?" Haley scolded, "and our accounts are joint. It isn't ever really _your_ treat."

"Affairs," Nathan balks, "they went on one date Haley. You need to get a hold of yourself woman." If only she knew what he had been saying a few minutes ago...

Instead of pursuing the conversation further, Haley thought it best to just let Nathan have this one. If a decade of marriage had taught her nothing else it was the importance of letting her husband think he got one over on her every now and again. "Eggs and french toast… and bacon."

Nathan jogged to her and planted a kiss on her forehead before making a beeline to the kitchen to get started, he was glad she hadn't given him a hard time over Clay and Brooke, "I love you Haley James."

"I love you too Nathan Scott," she pulled her robe tighter, "I'm starving. I'll get Jamie up for the assist."

"Is he still mad at me for embarrassing him in front of…" Nathan searched for the girl's name, "Chloe?"

"Cynthia," Haley corrected. "He spent a lot of time whining, but I'm sure he's over it by now."

"Terrific." Nathan turned his baseball cap backwards and yelled up the back staircase, "James Lucas Scott!"

"Wake the entire block why don't you?" Haley giggled.

Jamie stumbled down the stairs, "where's the fire?"

"No fire, I just need my skipper to help me with breakfast."

Jamie rubbed his head and yawned, "when do you leave again dad?"

"A few days," Nathan frowned.

"Good…" Jamie yawned again and rolled his eyes, "I'll miss you."

* * *

Lucas opened his eyes and immediately regretted drinking so heavily the night before. "Peyt!" He howled from his bed, "can you bring me some Tylenol?" _My head is killing me_ , he added to himself. When Peyton didn't come he got up, worried that he had only dreamt that his wife had returned from her trip early, "if that's the case I really need to stop drinking." He opened the door that flowed into the hallway, "Peyton!"

"Good morning broody," Brooke said with a smile as she peeked her head out from the kitchen.

She looked radiant in a simple wrap dress, "did I miss something?"

"It's nursery day," Peyton said matter of factly from beside Brooke. Lucas couldn't help but smile as Peyton slid her hand lovingly across Brooke's rounded stomach. "And boy are they excited."

"Oh yeah," Lucas quickly met them in the kitchen and placed his hand over Peyton's.

"Hmmm," Brooke huffed, "they were just going crazy. Maybe they don't like you."

"Ha ha very funny." Lucas pouted, "I need to apologize for my behavior yesterday afternoon. I don't know what came over me, will you forgive me cheery?"

Brooke kinked an eyebrow his direction and nodded her head, "don't I always forgive you? What do you think Vilula, Tennessee? Do you think daddy's sorry for being a meanie to Zia Brooke?"

"Veto." Peyton laughed, "come on I am dying to open those boxes on the table. Come on Lucas, Brooke brought the babies a present." She was fidgeting, "I had to wait until you got up. Can I open them now Brooke, please?"

"You are worse the Jamie and Lydia during Christmas time P. Sawyer, you know that don't you?"

Peyton didn't wait for any other confirmation, she ran to the table and removed the lids from both boxes and shrieked. "Brooke these mobile's are gorgeous." Peyton pulled out the first one to show to Lucas, the top hoop was woven with delicate fishing line and crystal bubbles and beads hung at different lengths. "This must have cost a fortune."

Brooke shrugged her shoulders, "I know a guy. You should see it hanging, it sparkles so much it looks like it glows. Show Lucas the other one," Brooke put her head on his shoulder, "now this one you're going to love."

Peyton places the bubble chandelier back in the box gently and pulls out the second mobile, "no way." Lucas grinned, "winged keys. When we agreed on a Harry Potter themed nursery I will admit I was skeptical but wow, that thing looks awesome." The keys were all the same shade of metallic silver with translucent plastic wings, and similar to the crystal bubble mobile the keys were all dangling at different lengths. "So how did everything go with Clay last night?"

"Lucas don't you have a call you need to make?" Peyton interrupted from the table, "Brooke and I will just be here waiting for you."

She gave Lucas an exaggerated fake smile and he knew he better not push his luck, "I do, I'll be right back." He heard Peyton ask Brooke to tell her all about Clay and he again grew jealous of this complete and total stranger who had popped into his world less than 48 hours ago.

* * *

"Hey kid have you seen Professor X around here?"

The small boy sitting on the porch looked up from his X-Men toys, "daddy!" He ran down the steps and leapt into Clay's waiting arms. "Gammy didn't think you were going to make it back home today. How was Thneedville?"

 _He looks so much like his mother when he smiles, it kills me every time._ "I was in Tree Hill and it was nice, the next time I go you are going to have to come with me. How's the asthma?"

"Fine, Papa said I only have to use my breathing machine one more time and I'll be good as new." Logan went back to his toys, "I miss New York, I never had to use my nebulizer when we lived there."

 _Oh to be a kid again, the lack of long term memory is certainly amusing._ "Logan you know that you had to use your nebulizer in New York, that's why we bought Sami the Seal." Sami the Seal was a fun seal shaped nebulizer that Logan spotted in the doctor's office almost a year ago and he insisted the only machine that could make his asthma disappear was a bright blue Sami the Seal nebulizer so of course Clay had to buy him one.

Logan launched Wolverine and Cyclops off the top step into the grass, "oh… I guess you're right dad. So are we staying and having dinner with Gammy and Papa? Gammy is making chicken alfredo and garlic bread."

"There is no place else I would rather be kid." Clay ruffled Logan's light locks and let his mind drift to the possibility of introducing Brooke Davis to his son… someday.

* * *

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the Clay/Sara flashback.. I am going to have a few more of them in the upcoming chapters. I'm also thinking about incorporating Brooke/Lucas and Brooke/Lucas/Peyton flashbacks.. I think it might really help flesh out the back story, shed some light on why Lucas is jealous of Brooke's budding relationship with Clay and why he saw a therapist in the beginning. What do you guys think? Plus I know there wasn't any Brooke/Clay this chapter, but I want you to know the next chapter is going to have tons of Brooke/Clay.. So please keep reading.

Alex


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